No Foolin'! April Fools Day will be the day to get feedback on your Picture Book pitches.

So you wrote that perfect picture book and now you've got to pitch it. Your CPs have been great, but they already love the book, and maybe are filling in the gaps without knowing it(Of course Mr. Pig has the rabbit in his black hat, and not Mrs. Horse.) This workshop is to get some feedback from people who have never read your PB (and maybe some who have but can still give you a fresh set of eyes).

Are you in? Great! All you need to know is below (I hope).

Guidelines and Deets:

1. Ways to Participate There are two ways to participate. You can add your blog post to the link list OR put your pitch in the comments (please don't do both). Please only pitch one or two projects, and put each in its own comment/blog post.

A brief comment or explanation of the workshop is fine, but then please follow this format (Put in the tags, so that we don't get confused) -

AUTHOR: (First Name or pen name is fine)PB TITLE: (Working Title will work)WORD COUNT: (Rounded to nearest 10)PITCH: (Give us your best in 100 words or less!)

2. Where and When On APRIL 1st this Submission Blog Post link goes live. Click it to add your pitch. Comments are monitored, so I will approve them before you see them. The links to your blog post, however, should show up immediately. (Try refreshing if you don't see them right away.) Be sure to add the link to your specific post and not to your blog as a whole. In the link title, please put the PB title you are pitching (regardless of the actual blog post heading) Comments posted to the Submission Blog Post that are NOT picture book pitches will be deleted or denied. If you have questions, please comment in THIS POST below. That way I'll be sure to see them and PB pitches will not get lost in the comments.

3. Critiquing Others This is the FUN Part! You get to let others know what's working and what could be improved. Pleas give constructive honest critique for at least 5 other pitches. Comment on the author's blog post or reply to a specific pitch in the Submission Blog Post. PLEASE be kind, constructive and honest. Tell the author whether you would read the PB and then say WHY you would or would not read it. Definitely point out any typos you see, but also let the author know what you like. The best critiques detail both positive and negative aspects of a pitch.

4. Spread the Word Feel free to tweet or share this workshop. The more we have the better the feedback!

5. Prizes? The real winners will be those who put their pitch out there and get good feedback. But OK, one week after the Workshop, I'll pick a winner and critique the full manuscript that was pitched. Think of me as a Ninja CP.

Feel Free to grab him for your websites so we know you're participating. And link back to this page.

7. Questions & Troubleshooting If you have questions, comments or difficulties, this is the post to tell me. Chances are, you are not the only one. The only stupid question is the one that you have but won't ask. So, please, ask! Comment below or Contact me.

Great! Come here on April First and all the links you need will be live. Then you can just add your entry in the comments of the Submission Post or add your blog post link to the list. Can't wait to see your pitch!

Author: Deborah Bates Cavitt
PB Title: Colleen McCavitt at the Texas Tartan Festival
Word Count: 326
Pitch: Part of the Texas curriculum is the study of different cultures who settled in Texas.
In Colleen McCavitt at the Texas Tartan Day Festival, readers follow Colleen through a festival that includes games, food, and music. Clues are given throughout the manuscript that the Colleen is really a Scottish Highland cow.